As a personal trainer, I’m usually my own guinea pig when I want to test the merits of any new exercises, exercise techniques, training programs or dietary regimes. It gives me first hand knowledge I can then pass onto clients, which is much better than untested theory.
But when it came to drawing up a program to prepare for the Gold Coast marathon, it was my wife who became the guniea pig.
The good news is she exceeded her expectations, ran a good time and had minimal post-race pain and discomfort.
That was despite being crook for five of the final eight weeks leading up to the Gold Coast Marathon.
It proves the program we devised and adopted, worked a treat – despite her illness.
While everyone is different (and therefore everyone’s marathon program should be individually tailored for them) here are some universal truths we discovered that can help any long distance/marathon runner.
Listen to the right advice
The experts will come out of the woodwork when they hear you’re running a marathon, some with genuine pearls of wisdom, others not so.
So it is important you find the right people to listen too. That is – those that will best help you.
Too many people offering differing opinions will confuse the message and compromise your preparation. So find a trainer you can trust or someone who has done marathons before and knows what they’re talking about.
Kate had me and her Uncle Ben, an experienced former marathon runner.
Benno proved a great example or what not to do to best prepare for a marathon. (drinking all night the night before a big run; drinking only water from random taps along the route in training and consuming no other fuel during races). Benno also provided invaluable doses of confidence boosting mental reassurance for Kate, convincing her she had it covered.
Run enough, but not too much
My wife was ill and unable to train for five of the eight weeks leading into the race but she still ran a strong marathon (“sprinting” the last 2km, in her words).
What got her through was good planning and enough time to allow for setbacks.
Kate had a strong base running 10-12km, and gradually increased the distance of her long weekend run until she ran 30km+ a couple of times in April.
The aim was to establish a strong distance base, then ease off for a week or two before building back up to 30km+ before a fortnight tapering up to the race.
But it was also an insurance against illness, injury or other unforeseen circumstance.
Thank goodness.
Kate had a virus for 4 weeks. She returned to running, did an 8km run and a 21km run in a week, then caught a cold.
When she recovered from the cold she had two weeks to go to the race and it was touch and go if she’d even get there.
She ran 30km+ twice in a week (with a 12km run midweek in between), then tapered for a week. She would not have been able to do this had she not had that 30km+ base from two months earlier.
He ability to finish the marathon strongly, with only a bit of general muscle soreness the following few days, proves we had taken the right tack.
While training my wife generally ran three times a week, one short run (5-10km), one medium (10-15km) and one long run (15km+). These distances were increased gradually over several months.
Some people feel the need to be running every second day to prepare, or doing lots of long runs, but our experienced proved three times a week, of which only one needs to be a long run, was plenty. Benno reckons you need to have passed 30km at least four times to be ready and Kate had ticked that box, just.
Pace yourself
Following her own advice my wife avoided being sucked into the rookie trap of going too hard too early during the race. It is easy to do. The cold morning, nerves and excitement that have got the adrenaline pumping and the flat course can all contribute to going out too fast, thinking you feel great and “this will last”. It won’t.
My wife initially tagged along behind the 4hr 45 minute pacemaker. After a few km she felt she could go quicker, so left the pacemaker behind, but still kept enough in reserve to ensure she finished strongly.
With 5km to go, as she struggled through the “Swamps of sadness” with everyone around her slowing down or walking, the 4.45 pacemaker caught up to her. This spurred my wife on to lift the pace, and she got home in 4.43.
Eat
My biggest fear was what would happen if and when Kate hit the dreaded “Wall”.
She had never run further than 34km, so the last 8km was striding (hobbling?) into the unknown.
“The Wall” occurs when your body uses up all of its glycogen stores. Translation: You are literally out of energy, having depleted all your energy stores. The only solution at that point is to replace them (that he didn’t only adds to the legend of Benno’s iron constitution). But better to ensure you don’t run out by topping up your energy stores during the run.
Energy gels, sports drinks, jelly snakes etc, can play a valuable role in keeping a fatigued athlete going, by providing an almost immediate, short term burst of energy. But their benefits are not long lasting.
After a light early breakfast of jam sandwich and a banana, my wife kept her energy levels up by having a banana at the 11km and 20km marks, then a handful of grapes at 30km (most of my morning was spent driving around the Gold Coast to provide her with these when she needed them, so having a good support crew is also essential).
She avoided hitting the wall, was able to finish the race running and was still able move and function well after the race (unlike a lot of others).
Avoid chafe
Don’t worry how you will look. Everyone looks dreadful after 42km. So wear clothes that suit you best. My wife has particular undies with a small flat seam that doesn’t bother her, while other undies will. So find what works best for you in terms of comfort and support and stick to it.
Even if you adhere to all that you may still fall victim to chafe. Under bra straps and the nipples (men as well) are unexpected spots you might not discover till you’ve run more than 30km.
My wife passionately recommends the Body Glide Anti-Chafe Balm. Apply liberally before race to all/ any areas that may be remotely susceptible to chafe or rubbing.
To me any marathon sounds like torture and there is going to be pain involved. But apply all these philosophies and I reckon you will be able to enjoy it (my wife did) and, will be able to approach your race with the peace of mind that comes from knowing you have prepared as well as possible.